Blog Action Day 24 hours + 24,000 lives lost = Apathy

A few months ago I asked how much it would cost to end preventable starvation. The answer I got was in the order of an extra $50 billion a year in focussed aid.

That's a drop in the ocean of tears hungry children shed.

There can be no peace when children die and cry from hunger...

Just an increase of 0.4% of global GDP will end human suffering. Yet 99.3% of global GDP isn't enough - the developed would needs 99.7% ...

Yet the Wall St bailout cost $700 billion. That's 14 years worth of funding for war on starvation! In 50 years time that will have evaporated into thin air. So why not fill the world with joy and declare War on starvation!!!

Reducing death from lack of clean water and quality calories isn't rocket science. Neither is it Wall Street child psychological mayhem!

The numbers stack up...

Reduce the number starving by just 12 a day and starvation will be history in 2013.

Here's the song - where's the artist to sing it?

A Dozen a Day is the Message to Send!
=====================================
X-ers feel hezitayshun
Itz a Y-less gennarayshun
Itz thyme to become produ-sirs
Itz thyme to leave behind the you-zers!
Itz thyme to feed, the human race
If ya don't ya just, a waste a space
Ya think ya fone is where it's at?
Kidz r starvin yet ya don't-give-a-crap

Now don't get me rong.
Juz here this song.
It's thyme to end pollushun.
Not just the gutters or the creeks
Itz the minds of leaders n the geeks
Ya gotta activ8 to cre8 a solushun!
Call it a mess-age for the global soul.
Ending war n hunger iz our goal. (yourz 2!)

But don't rest now.
We'll shoot another holy cow.
Ya C itz up to U n U n U n U n U
'N all U DJs, ya gotta see what I say.
This message needs alla you to get on thru
Shache ya head say no more (wake the dead stop the war!)
I'm just 1 voice, so wot do I know?
I've a soul, my voice, 2 help the world grow!

(Chorus)
Rock hard peepul, coz all life has an end,
Just a dozen a day you've a message to send!
a message to send
a message to send
a message to send

Wall St Bail Out - War On Starvation Opportunity Wasted

The bail out of the rich and greedy on Wall St will cost $700 billion.

This money could have ended human starvation for 14 years, based on an estimate of $50 billion per year required to end starvation.

Dear Jonas, I've decided to declare war on starvation... It's got to end...

Jonas I'm pretty sure you don't have intenet access in Mozambique. I guess what little spare time you have is spent collecting wood.

How our worlds differ. My kids spend much of their time on a computer game called Playstation. When they get bored they might surf Youtube or chat online. And when they get hot, they go for a swim in a sparkling blue swimming pool in our back yard.

If you know much about Australia, you might know about crocodiles or kangaroos. Like much of Africa, Australia is in the midst of a severe drought. So we all do our best to keep our showers to 4 minutes.

So why am I writing to you? And why a blog?

I guess the answer is that it's better than crying...

After the loss of a child I began to sponsor children like you. Now 21 years later, you are the third child I've sponsored - yet never spoken to, let alone met.

This year I decided to forget my usual list of New Year Resolutions. They always seem to be: get out of debt, improve my relationships, change my job or lose some weight.

So this year I simply decided not to have a New Year Resolution for myself. I never seem to keep them anyway. This year would be different. This year I decided my New Years Resolution is to declare war on starvation!

NOTE: Jonas is the 9 year old boy I sponsor in Mozambique. I've also sponsored children in Papua New Guinea and Senegal.